By Abdu Labaran Malumfashi
The reader of this article should be aware from the onset that it is not about the famous book, ‘Pride And Prejudice’ written in 1813 by the famous British female author, Jane Austin. It was she who had, two years earlier, written an equally best seller, ‘Sense And Sensibility’.
The write up is about three (3) people, with the one representing ‘Pride’ spoken about last. But about the other two, one is noisy about his brilliance, and he proves his brilliance in dipping his fingers in the commonwealth, and the other, who is also brilliant, was ‘rewarded’ with the highest traditional title in his part of the country for doing nothing other than retiring a very rich person, though not of a birthright.
One is an opponent of the regime in Nigeria, an ‘offence’ punishable with an indefinite detention in some gulag unless pressure forces the power-hungry regime to release the person. The other is a very excellent friend of the regime to the extent that one day, not long ago, he looked at the whole world in the eyes, and declared that there is absolute peace in the country, not minding the barbarity that is perpetrated by outlaws in the Northern part of the country almost on a daily basis.
They are both very brilliant, passing every stage of their education with flying colours. From Primary to University, they, all the time came on top of the rest, boasting that the studies are mare child’s play. One of them studied and worked in some of the best Ivory Tower Institutions in the Western World. The other would rather accumulate his garlands locally with equal distinctions, resulting in a tremendous financial reward for him, a small proportion of which he ‘wisely’ devoted in landed properties across the nation, even at the advanced stage of his life.
One worked privately, getting a mighty push during the military regime, before he indirectly threw his hat into the ring of partisan politics, after which he went full time. The other worked all his life in the civil service, where he achieved anything achievable, retiring as a rich businessman, who was progressively rewarded with titles peaking in the highest of them all, not that the titles were his birthright. Just that he was somehow free-handed to the givers.
While one is cooling his feet in detention, the other awaits to see what ‘reward’ the regime he so obsequiously flatters, would offer him.
And, while one is said not to be too hard to benefit others even though he is alleged to be a stickler for ‘correctness’, the other is not known to be free with anything positive, especially giving out his ‘hard earned’ stipend, which he possesses in tonnes. It was the discreet disclosure of a retired late Police Officer, whose last posting before retirement was in the Federal Capital Headquarters of his employer.
To talk about the first, last, Professor Shiekh Ibrahim Maqari, the Chief Imam of the Abuja National Mosque, has become the pride of the world’s Muslim community, with his recent appointment as one of the Imams of the leading Holy Mosques in the world, the Masjid Al Haram (better known as the Sacred Mosque) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
This is an achievement for which the global Black Muslim Ummah should be proud of, without the ‘celebrant’ being prideful. Pride for its sake, is not part of Islam. The religion, in fact, discourages it, labelling the prideful as ungrateful people who think the favours came to them because of their efforts (puny). The prideful are not thankful for what God has done to them.
But the Zaria-born-69-year old Chief Imam, knows that better, by far more than the less knowledgeable person who is reminding him so. But he is also aware that God admonishes for reminders, saying in the Holy Quran that, ‘the only sincere believers (MUMINEEN) benefit from reminders.
May God stop both the prideful in their track, and assist those who are not, so that Nigeria will continue to produce more prides of the global black community, whichever field of endeavour they may be good at.
Malumfashi writes from Katsina
